


Airplane

by ikonnichiwa



Series: double b aus ♡ [1]
Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Original Character(s), Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-10 03:11:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13494592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikonnichiwa/pseuds/ikonnichiwa
Summary: After all the pain he's gone through back in Seoul, Hanbin is pretty sure he's gonna spend an amazing year here in the US. A year of nothing but fun, adventures, studying (at least a little) and paying attention to not get too attached to anyone any soon.





	Airplane

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, I'm back with another story ! This one's not gonna be a one shot but a looooooong fiction, therefore I'm pretty sure I'll need your help to keep me motivated at some point ! I'll try to update regularly but keep in mind I'm in college and that's no fun. I promise you the story is worth the wait (at least I think so).  
> Oh and before I forget, please support iKON's new album !!!  
> See you later !

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "he remembered the picture he had sent and to be honest, he’d rather not have to meet a total stranger who had seen his face with a cat filter. His mother might have convinced him it looked cute but right now, he thought it was nothing but embarrassing."

 

“ We’re going to miss you, son. Please, take care of yourself and don’t worry about us. Your sister and I will wait for you.”

 

As he headed towards a totally unknown future, he remembered the words his mother had told him. Scared, he sure was during the entire time he had spent sitting on an uncomfortable economy class seat, but excitement was the only thing he could feel once he landed on the country he had always dreamt to go to : the United States and all its possibilities, opportunities and fast foods (he loved him some McDonald’s) was all he had wanted to experience for so long. To be so far from home for the first time wasn’t going to be easy though, he was perfectly aware of it, but all the great moments he had promised himself to live would without any doubt compensate for the absence of his family. Not to mention getting to study abroad wasn’t something anyone could allow themselves to so he truly was happy and thankful. Yet he knew making friends would be quite a struggle but he didn’t really care about them. He was fine alone, and who said you only could enjoy yourself with the company of random people ? He and his dreams were fine on their own. A few acquaintances of his here in the US would be more than enough and he didn’t even dare wishing for that to happen. Getting close to anyone was something he didn’t really care to happen ; most of the time, he would just go with the flow and see what happens and that was exactly what he planned to do this year.  

 

After passing the immigration desks and proudly getting a stamp on his passport, he walked towards the big framed glass doors, suitcases on both hands and a conquering smile on his face. From the taxi window, all he could see was buildings and skyscrapers and if he turned his head on the other side, the blue sheen of the sea would make his eyes sparkle ; “just like in the movies”, he told himself. Even though the city nor the beach were foreign to him as he came directly from Seoul, it was still refreshing and different enough for him to be hyped up. It was California after all. This alone could explain his excitement. The sun, the warm weather and the relaxing atmosphere he could already feel put him at ease so fast he was amazed by it. It only confirmed his choice of leaving South Korea and the painful memories he had been through within the last few months. His mother had been worried at first ; who wouldn’t be scared to let their first son live an ocean away from them ? But she knew, deep in her heart, that it was the best decision he could make for himself. It had only taken a late evening conversation for him to convince her, though she had cried a few times since then, forcing his tears to fall off his cheeks too. Be that as it may, they would be reunited again, sooner than it seemed. 

 

The taxi eventually stopped in front of a huge building, stairs going up to it. Not far, a huge rock which might be even bigger in height than him, with engraved letters on it announced he was arrived at destination before the driver could ask for payment. Now standing in front of the gates of his own American dream, he grabbed his bags and luggages and first headed to his university administration ; he had registered as a student earlier on the Internet, but he still had some papers to fill and to be given his schedules. When he arrived around his college, not a lot of people were actually there ; some students were already there but most of them were foreigners like him, preparing their year abroad, moving into their dorms. Thus, he was kind of lost. While sitting in the waiting room, anxious about his English, he started muttering some sentences he had practiced back in the plane : he sure didn’t want to look bad or ridiculous in front of anybody. When his turn came and a middle-aged woman with a reassuring smile welcomed him in her office, he stood up clumsily and stepped in. She seemed quite understanding and supportive of him and even helped him when he struggled a bit to articulate his words. As he was an international student she explained, he had less courses to attend than regular scholars, something that made him relieved as he had feared he would have to spend an entire year studying and not live his journey in the US fully. He also learnt that as he had registered early, he had got the one-room, one-bathroom apartment he had applied for and would, if he wanted to, be able to meet a few American and International students starting next day, as a welcome party was to be hold. He smiled at the idea of finally talking to new people, though he felt a bit afraid ; he was a shy kid and most of the time, his “do not show any emotions” strategy made it hard for him to befriend anybody, as people usually didn’t have the will to dig further with him and make him open a little more. Even if he didn’t go to the US to make lots of friends in the beginning, he knew it would feel lonely very soon if he stayed alone forever. 

 

He left the office with arms full of papers to fill and followed a maze of corridors, making sure he walked in the right direction, before eventually found the exit of the administration service. The lady had given him a campus map, a great idea of her since it would prevent him from getting lost among all these buildings and sleeping outside. The international students dorm wasn’t that far away and he reached his door quickly, starting a new chapter of his life as he opened it and discovered a small, impersonal room. On the rough mattress of the bed, he collapsed, sighing for the umpteenth time of the day as he ran his fingers through his hair. That was it, he said to himself. He gazed around, looking at the empty white walls that were going to be his surroundings for a year and a half and wondered what they would witness, what lay ahead for him in the future, how his life would change, how life would change him. He liked to think of this as a fresh new start ; an opportunity to restart everything and this time, not doing the same mistakes he had done before. 

 

A few hours later he had unpacked all of his stuff, filling his closets and trying to give a little bit of himself to his apartment, making it a more cosy place in which he would feel safe. Happy with the results, he quickly looked at the clock on his phone ; he still had some time left to wander around before curfew so he decided to go for a bit of a walk, grabbing a white hoodie just in case he felt cold. The building his apartment was located in appeared to be empty of people, for most of what he had browsed at the moment, until he found a group of girls who were speaking in a language he guessed was Spanish, in what he thought was a relaxing area, colours and furnitures combined nicely to give a soothing ambiance. At least he wasn’t alone here, he thought, and then left the building to go shopping so he could finish decorating his room, not to mention he started to feel hungry as soon as he had closed the door behind him. Hands still holding the campus map as some precious treasure, since he didn’t really have a great sense of orientation, he followed the indicated path and eventually manage to reach a small mall in which he searched for some scented candles, as he was used to collecting them back in Seoul. He was pleasantly surprised when he found cinnamon scented ones which led him to take three of them before he headed towards the indoor lights department where he chose a nice desk lamp. He also bought a few photo frames so he could display some of the pictures he had brought from home, some pencils and notebooks as he loved writing lyrics when he had the time, before he went back to his dorm, sitting on a bench to eat a sandwich on his way. 

 

Night had not come yet when he entered his bedroom and sat on his bed, but the lack of sleep, the discomfort of the plane seats and jet lag had tired him quite a lot, making him yawn very early in the day. He only got up to tidy up some more and light up a candle before taking a shower, hot water alleviating his tensed muscles and weary feet. He then ran to his laptop to Skype his mother as promised, telling her and his little sister all about his very first day here in California. Everything seemed to be fine, he reassured her and then it was her turn to appease him, assuring him it was okay to be a bit stressed and that he shouldn’t be afraid to make new friends, as he kept on repeating he didn’t want to get too close to anybody. He had always been kind of shy and way too emotional for his liking, hence his lack of friendliness. His mother and sister were the only one who truly knew him the way he was otherwise, he would keep a safe distance between him and others ; and it had become even more difficult for him not to hide in his shell as time went by.  Nonetheless, his mother’s wise words reached him in a way and he ended up promising her he’ll speak to everyone he would meet, even though he sincerely doubted he would manage to do so. Once his call went off, he curled up under his blankets and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him away to a land of dreams as a new day was slowly coming. 

 

Bright white walls reflecting sunlight woke him up, his eyes hurting from the sudden assault of shine. He had slept so well, and apparently so long as it was the afternoon already. It wasn’t that much of a big deal though, nothing special was to call him for a bit thus, he just enjoyed some time alone. Out of the window frame, he took a look at the view ; a few floors below him stood dozens of students, filling the previously empty courtyard. A feeling of dizziness abruptly hit him as he kept gazing outside and he couldn’t really figure out whether it was his fear of heights arising or the fact that he could see all these people discussing all together, looking close as they had known each others for years and maybe it was the case, maybe it was not ; no matter what, he felt already left aside. Perhaps had he underestimated the difficulties of starting it all over again a little bit, after all. 

 

He spent most of his day locked in his room, writing down whatever could cross his mind as he kept thinking of the reasons which pushed him to take a plane and land on the other side of the ocean. He had only eaten a few snacks, scared at the idea of grocery shopping and cooking his own food on the small stove he had in his room, when he remembered he had a party to attend that night. He used to never go to this kind of events, saying he didn’t belong to this world ; he was more of a “stay at home and watch Netflix” kind of guy. But going once would not kill him, he thought. Thus, he entered his bathroom and took a shower, then styled his hair backwards as he liked to after choosing his favorite perfume to wear tonight. He left the room, a light scent of almond following him, put on some black skinny jeans and a white sweater, making sure he didn’t look like a mess before he closed the door behind him. Walking across the yard, he followed the yellow path he highlighted hours ago, fearing he would never get to the place on time when it wasn’t even that far away ; his fears were founded though and sometimes, he would even go out with a compass “just in case”. “You never know”, he had once justified himself, “streets are tricky”. 

 

So many people were already there, parked as sheeps in a paddock, dancing on what he acknowledged as Demi Lovato’s last single as he entered the room, sneaking into the crowd. He soon got to the bar and asked for something soft, as he wasn’t that much of a drinker as well and ended up sipping a cup of fresh Sprite, leant on the wall. A bit self-conscious at the idea of dancing on his own, he would rather observe the ones he would spent a year with. Among all the party people, he only saw a few Asians and he knew by the way they behaved they weren’t Americans. Most of the audience he couldn’t tell where they came from ; he had never been great at distinguishing these little differences among European features that made you say who came from what country. Despite his awareness that Europeans certainly would struggle differentiating a Korean guy from a Japanese one, he felt guilty and just figured he would ask anyone if the opportunity came out. Otherwise, he was fine not knowing. 

 

The party was going well when all of a sudden, the music stopped and a very tall guy, with blond hair cut short and piercing blue eyes jumped on the small arranged stage and took the microphone. He looked on a plain yet so cool as he started speaking with a cheering voice : 

“I’ll only speak for thirty seconds, I promise”, he began and the whole assembly followed with laughter. “Hi everyone, and welcome to our International Party ! My name’s Mike and I’m the current president of the International Students Council, that is the association working hard to make you guys feel safe and at home here in California. Now, if you remember well, while you applied online earlier this summer, you all received an email asking you some questions about you, right ? Well, thanks to your answers, we were able to prepare you a little surprise !” 

 

He looked at the stage, frowning and looked around to see if anyone actually understood what was going on ; but all the other foreigners seemed as lost as him. Mike, though, cleared up everything right after that.

“We wanted to make this year with us the best year you’ve ever had so we decided to pair you with an American buddy ! Remember the pictures we ask you to give us ? We basically gave it to your assigned American buddy before you came here and they’ll have to find you tonight. Their role is to be a sort of mentor to you all. You’ll be able to ask them any questions you have about campus life, courses, rules and they’ll be more than happy to help you feel welcome here. If you ever have a problem, whether it’s school related or more personal, your buddy is there to give you a hand. I can already tell you they all are quite eager to get to know you and become friends with you, so without further do, let’s the meeting begin !” 

 

Mike then went off the stage and switched on the music again, bodies starting dancing immediately. He, as a foreign boy without any given qualities to make friends, just stood near the restroom door, barely moving, only nodding to the beat and watching the audience. Little by little, it became more talking and less dancing, as students eventually found their buddies while he was still alone, not that it bothered him though ; he remembered the picture he had sent and to be honest, he’d rather not have to meet a total stranger who had seen his face with a cat filter. His mother might have convinced him it looked cute but right now, he thought it was nothing but embarrassing. Once he thought he had waited enough time for him not to feel guilty, he chose to head back to his dorm when someone suddenly wrapped their hand around his wrist, calling him to stay. He startled then turned back at whoever it was, cheeks red and mouth open, ready to say something but the only words that came out were muttered. Here stood a guy with a rather tall yet very thin body, not quite like the bulky one who spoke earlier in front of everyone. Wearing way too many layers of clothes for a late summer night, making him look a bit hip hop, he however seemed nice, long eyelashes and deep brown eyes softening his quite angular face. 

 

“You’re the guy with the filter right ?”, his knees weak, he swore at himself and prayed for his ridicule to end soon. “Like, cat ears and stuff ? Wait…” The guy seemed to have a hard time remembering whatever he had in mind, making him feel even more ill-at-ease, cheeks now burning out of shame. “Hanbin right ?? This is Hanbin ? Man, I hope I’m not butchering your name… My name’s Tyler Caine, by the way”, he then said, genuinely apologizing, which forced a smile on Hanbin face. 

“Yes, that’s me”, he began to say, carefully stressing his words so he could be understood ; he knew his English wasn’t the best of all but he truly worked, and was still working hard on it to improve his skills fast. “But please, don’t mention this picture ever again”, he laughed, trying his best to look comfortable and to please his mother ; Admittedly, he didn’t plan on getting close to anybody but that didn’t mean he should sound mean to people as well. So Hanbin smiled and answered every questions Tyler would ask him, returning him them as well and before he could realize it, they were sitting on a couch on a corner of the room, drinking beers and having fun. Hanbin still looked a little uncomfortable though, which he explained by stating he wasn’t really the type of guy to hang out on big parties like this. Tyler jumped right on the opportunity and stood up, his fingers curling on a strand of hair. 

 

“Actually, my friends and I planned on having a small meet-up of our own at my apartment tonight. An after party, kinda. Would you join us ? They’re real cool, you’re gonna have a blast, I swear. And it’s not that far away. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Hanbin looked at his drink, sipped the last drops of it and then answered, a bit enthusiastically, which surprised him, “Yeah ! Let’s go !” Apparently, alcohol had helped him loosen up. He followed Tyler, who swaggered towards the exist and Hanbin couldn’t help but think it was so American. 

 

Tyler hadn’t lie, his flat was pretty close to the actual campus, located just a few blocks away from what he had said was the Department of Sciences and Technology, where he was majoring in quantum mechanics. It impressed Hanbin a lot, since his buddy’s look didn’t do him justice but his mother had taught in not to judge a book by its cover. The guy surely was a smart one. They stopped at a corner shop on the way to bring some more food and drinks and when they arrived, most of Tyler’s mates were here. All of them looked so different from what Hanbin was used to and he felt he was getting shy again when one of them politely offered him a seat while Tyler dispensed the drinks on the small coffee table before sitting as well and introducing him quickly.

 

“Guys, this is my international buddy Hanbin, coming from South Korea. Doesn’t he look cute ???”, he asked, squeezing Hanbin’s cheeks as he went, “Be good to him. No drugs, no bad plans, he’s supposed to leave the US alive.” At the comment, Hanbin laughed nervously, glancing to the guys sitting around him ; they all looked older than him even though Tyler had told him they were all on their twenties. They obviously were stronger too, which made him feel so small he kind of understood why Tyler kept on calling him cute. 

“No worry dude, he’s gonna be find with us, a joint never killed anyone !”, exclaimed a pale, brown-haired guy sitting right in front of him and Hanbin could tell from where he was that the cigarette he was smoking wasn’t pure tobacco. 

“Marshall, watch your mouth ; I heard this is a tough topic in Asian countries. Don’t make us look bad !”, warned another, tall framed boy with deep chocolate skin, who immediately looked at him with a reassuring glance. “We’re not bad guys and you’re not forced to do anything you don’t want to do here, be sure of that.”, he added before heading to the kitchenette and hitting the back of the said-Marshall’s head ; he came back with a bottle of Pepsi. 

“Jayden is quite the protective type. Majoring in business. I can tell you he’s gonna make us all look poor when he starts his company.”, Tyler whispered to Hanbin, who nodded at the thought. 

“He looks like a businessman, actually.”, he said, mentioning the white shirt with rolled-up sleeves Jayden was wearing ; he then was told the man had had a job interview a few hours earlier and didn’t bother change clothes. He looked fine that way though, Hanbin thought to himself. 

 

The evening went by way faster than Hanbin could have imagined ; eleven o’clock had passed already, and the small party seemed like it was just starting. To be fair, Hanbin wasn’t used to partying so he could do nothing but go with the flow here, which resulted in him drinking, eating and laughing out loud. Tyler hadn’t lied for that either, he was truly enjoying himself. He was talking with another international student, Rafaello, an Italian boy majoring in business as well and who appeared to be Jayden’s buddy, when he heard his own buddy yelling from what he figured was his bedroom.

 

“Where’s that dickhead again ??? Weren’t he supposed to show up ? He has to give me back my ukulele, I have a jam session tomorrow !” 

“He said he was going to be late”, answered a guy Hanbin didn’t really notice before. He only had caught his name : Christopher, but everybody called him Chris. “He should be there in a minute now.”

“Who are you talking about ?”, risked Hanbin, who hadn’t asked many questions since he had arrived. He usually would follow the conversation, say a thing or two and answer anyone, but that was it ; his new comrades were quite curious about him though.

“Tyler, you didn’t tell him ???”, shouted Marshall who went to sit next to him, legs spread and a can of beer in his hands. “It’s Tyler’s best friend. He showed him your picture. The dude thinks you’re cute.”

Hanbin blushed heavily and hid his face in his hands, which made Marshall laugh a bit too much for his liking. “Ah, don’t be shy ! I wish I looked that cute with a cat filter.”

“You look like a creep.”, retorted Tyler. “I didn’t show him on purpose Hanbin. It was on my desk. That dude just doesn’t know what privacy stands for. I swear he’s nice though.” 

Hanbin nodded, still blushing a bit. “I assume everybody here saw it, then…”

“Yes, unfortunately, but it truly wasn’t my intention, I can swear. And he’s right, it was kinda cute. I think you’ll like him.” That made Hanbin a bit too inquisitive, as he surprised himself asking how was that guy he hadn’t even met yet. However the description wasn’t as great as expected. 

“Ugly.”, had said Marshall. “He only sleeps, eats and farts.”, had added Chris. “One day, he almost burnt my mother’s house. I had to call the firefighters just in case. Don’t let him cook. Please, don’t.” had then warned Jayden and Hanbin could only picture the guy as a dirty and reckless teen who wasn’t able to do anything by himself. He felt guilty to think this way, but the guys didn’t really help. Hopefully, Tyler had tried to restore his best friend’s image a bit. 

“Okay, he’s all of that but he’s also very passionate. You told me you liked music, right ? He does record a lot of stuff and writes lyrics as well. The guy’s pretty famous around here. Gets all the girls, I’m jealous.”

“Gets all the girls but doesn’t even lay his hands on one !”, laughed Marshall which owed him another slap from Jayden, “That’s none of anyone business, dude.”, whereas Hanbin was a bit shocked at the last statement. Did this mean what he thought it meant or was it another joke of his ? He couldn’t tell. 

 

While they were all arguing about Tyler’s still unknown best friend, someone knocked at the door. Tyler jumped from the couch and ran to the small hallway, letting the newcomer enter. “Speaking of the devil, look who’s here !!!!”, said Jayden, again standing in the kitchen. 

“Sorry dudes, I had some stuff to work on, couldn’t make it earlier. I have pizzas if you like !”

 

A very low, raspy voice with a small accent that Hanbin, thanks to all the nights he spent watching American TV shows, guessed was from the South of the US, came to his ears. He turned to see who the guy they talked about right before was and the truth was, the boy didn’t look like what he had imagined at all. An Asian man, with hair dark as a crow’s feathers and eyes so slight their features could have been sculpted with a knife ; his jaw was just as sharp. In other words, he looked scary. But then the guy smirked and destroyed all the frightening aura he bore, revealing a bright, crooked teeth, almost bunny-looking smile. With his clothes way larger than he was, even though the guy seemed pretty well built as his naked arms betrayed some time spent at the gym, Hanbin thought he looked a bit like Tyler ; their fashion choices appeared similar, with the same urban, hip hop vibe. Honestly, the boy was handsome, at least, to Hanbin’s standards, and his cheeks pinkened again at the thought of such a manly boy finding him “cute”. The foreigner looked at his feet, his shyness arising as he clumsily reached for his drink ; he swore he was going to be dead drunk by the end of the night. His instincts told him to avoid the piercing glance the other was giving him and so he did and it calmed his nervousness just enough for him not to scream out of surprise when he noticed that the guy had just sat next to him. The second after, he was giving him a high five, his eyes disappearing behind a huge, happy grin.

 

“Welcome dude ! I’m Bobby !”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, that's it for the first chapter ! I hope you liked it :) 
> 
> If there's any English mistakes, feel free to tell me as it is not my first language. I tried my best and will surely reread it and maybe correct a few things. Please, tell me your thoughts on this one, comments are always welcomed and it keeps me motivated ❤
> 
> I'll see you on the next one !


End file.
